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Hemp Flag To Fly At Vt. Statehouse

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Backers of a new Vermont law setting up state rules for growing hemp are coming back to the Statehouse for a celebration.

Rural Vermont is hosting a reception on Tuesday — Constitution Day — and will be flying a flag made from hemp outside the Statehouse.

Hemp is a crop that has many uses — from food to fabrics — but it contains a tiny amount of the active ingredient in marijuana and remains technically illegal under federal law.

Supporters of allowing hemp to be grown in Vermont say they hope a recent Justice Department policy announcement that the federal government won’t prosecute marijuana charges in states that have legalized the drug will also apply to hemp.